Multi-million pound plans to regenerate Littlehampton seafront submitted
The scheme hopes to improve the seafront between East Beach, South Terrace and Windmill Road
Plans for a £7.2million Littlehampton seafront regeneration have been submitted for approval by Arun District Council.
The scheme hopes to improve the seafront between East Beach, South Terrace and Windmill Road through £7.2million of levelling up funding from the government, with plans originally drawn up in 2016.
The submitted plans will include a pop-up marketplace off Banjo Road with four fixed stalls, rearranged coach parking on Banjo Road to accommodate the market, a new ‘activity hub’, a new ‘water play’ area, improved pedestrian access throughout, a resurfaced and reconfigured South Terrace car park creating 104 extra parking spaces, and new toilets and foreshore buildings.
Existing toilet blocks near the Harvester will be replaced with new toilets, with a new concession building and foreshore building to act partly as storage for the RNLI.
The activity hub will look to include a bouldering wall, beach volleyball, petanque and basketball courts.
Waterfalls, rock pools and water jets will be installed for the water play area, with social spaces throughout the development to include pergolas, picnic tables and benches, that will be shaded by new trees and plants.
A public consultation was held last year from October to November, with 465 respondents, finding over 70 per cent approval for each of the designs implemented in current plans.
Biodiversity net gain is set to be 43.36 per cent, above the minimum required 10 per cent, which council ecology officers requested be put in the conditions if the scheme was to be approved.
Sussex Police said if plans go ahead, thought should be given to alarm systems for permanent buildings, lighting, CCTV and anti-graffiti paint, as well as locking down exercise and other equipment to prevent theft.
The Harvester restaurant is included in plans, despite the council confirming demolition of the building would go ahead after a fire destroyed the restaurant in August – with the attached Windmill Cinema not reopening until at least 2024.
The council hopes to see plans put before the planning committee at its meeting in December, with work starting next year.